FOOTAGE! of Shelton winning by countout and the ensuing beatdown and grossly-belated save. And of Bisch booking the 4-on-4 and the ensuing beatdown.

Presently, a bandaged Shelton, Bisch, and Johnny Weekly, with Barbie, are in Bisch's Room of Fun. Shelton seems very confident with his speaking. Shawn, Benoit and Mick arrive. Mick takes Barbie and the others talk trash.

It's time for Raw, live from Chicago, IL...and a Fashion Report, too!

Mick, in flannel, black "Backlash" tshirt and blue jeans, carrying Barbie, is out. He talks about tonight's Main Event and what'll happen to Randy at Backlash; namely that it'll be Cactus Jack in the match, not Mick Foley. Randy, with a steel chair, tries to ambush Mick, but the bat beats the chair and Randy high-tails it out of there.

Kane, under the towell, in black tights with red barbedwire stripes, vs. GrandMasterSexay (Lawler: "I know that guy."), in white jacket and pants with black squiggles, and goggles. Hebner officiates. Apparently GMS is here with bells on, 'cuz he certainly does jingle. Chokeslam -> pin. Squash. Post-match, Edge does not attack? What gives?

In the back, Trish is bemoaning the Backlash booking to the makeup lady. Eugene comes by before Regal drags him off. Christian! arrives on the scene to evilly sweet talk Trish.

In Bisch's Room of Fun, Flair, in the new black "Evolution" tshirt wants a match with Shelton at Backlash. Hey, just as Flair's about to leave, Shelton (who must've been watching the show) barges in and takes it to Flair. Referees arrive to do a pull-apart.

JR, in grey suit, black shirt and tie, and black hat, and Lawler, in sparkly black/white shirt with gold scroll, commentate. HHH, with stubble, cuts a pre-taped promo on the Tripe-Threat match.

Hilight Reel: Jericho, in black "Jericho" jacket with sparkly blue and pink rays and sparkly silver trim. Much smack is talked about his match with Christian! and Trish. Yes - the "Trish barks like a dog" FOOTAGE! is used, with much over-dubbed barking. Lita is the guest, but Trish is out to kick her ass. Bisch is on the scene to book Trish vs. Lita, now. But Adbreak barges in for his time.

Lita, in black mesh shirt over yellow top and black thong under black pants vs. Trish, in sparkly silver top and black pants. Jack DOan is the referee. The match is JIP'ed. Jericho is at ringside, and Christian! comes down, in snakeskin-style shirt and striped black pants. "Mill Yasge" for "mileage"? Damn, CC - lay off the booze. OMG - the crowd is actually chanting "CLB"! Trish takes a dive to the outside and Lita follows. That lets Christian! interefere. Lita wins by DQ. Jericho and Christian get into it, and then Jericho moves onto Trish. But the heels are able to deliver a (n overlong) beating to Jericho.

In the back, Todd interviews La Resistance as to why they've moved to Quebec. Sylvian says Quebec is closer to the US, so it's an ideal location to stage their mission. In the background, Eugene plays with the flag - La Res thinks Regal is messing with it and they deliver a stern warning to William. Regal tries to soothe the boy's emotions.

Johnny Weekly, left arm in a sling, in a black shirt with yellow embroidering and black leather, black tshirt and black jeans. Johnny delivers a message to Edge. Edge, left arm in a cast, in black leather jacket, black tshirt and black jeans (fortunately Edge has blonde hair, as opposed to Johnny's black). Wow - it's almost like looking into a mirror. If Edge uses the cast in his match, he will lose and be suspended. Wow - Edge speaks! And Edge spears Johnny (um, yeah, you're a big man to rough-up the whiney little "apprentice").

Sylvian, with Rob, both in sparkly blue military coats and black "La Resistance" undies, and carrying Quebec flags, vs. Hurricane, in mask, green/black "H" tights and black "H" cape, with Rosey. Mike Chioda officiates. Min-match, Eugene comes out with a peace offering of a stuffed Easter Bunny, which Sylvian tears the head off. Hurricane uses the distraction to get a pin. Regal marches off with Eugene.

Shawn has pre-recorded comments about the Triple Threat.

Here's some FOOTAGE! of Smackdown!, since no-one watched the damn show anyways.

And here's some FOOTAGE! of Mick doing hardcore stuff. Randy watches the television - see the shadow of doubt grow long on his face.

Run-down the Backlash card. And here's some pre-recorded comments from Benoit.

Benoit, in black tights with blue slashes, carrying the World Heavyweight Title, and Shelton, in red singlet with silver trim and slash, and Shawn, in cut-up "The Source of Strength" tshirt and mirrored black leather chaps over red "HBK" tights with hearts, and Mick, in same as before, vs. Evolution: HHH, in black iron-cross undies, and Flair, in red sequined/gold "Nature Boy" robe and red "RF" undies thereunder, wearing the Tag Title, and Orton, in black "Orton" undies with hip bolts, wearing the IC Title, and Batista, in black undies with arcing red flame, wearing the Tag Title. Chioda is the referee, in stripes. Flair takes a beating to start, and the crowd eats it up. When HHH gets taged in, the crowd builds even more. Once all four men are brawling in the ring, the crowd gets to its feet. Shawn goes for a plancha to the outside, taking-out Evolution. And then Adbreak strikes.

Cont. Evolution has regained control and Benoit is the target of their wrath. The crowd is still on its feet. Flair and Benoit trade chops before the hot tag to Mick/Jack. The heels are able to regain control against Shelton. Shelton takes a beating, always just inches away from the tag. Finally a hot tag to Shawn, who cleans house. The brawl again, and the ring is clear except for Shawn and Randy; now we enter end-game. Superkick to Flair. RKO on Shawn. Headbutt to Randy. Facebuster to Foley. Mandible Claw on Orton. Superkick to Orton for a pin. A dang good match. Post-match, Shawn, Benoit and HHH face-off. (And THAT is why we watch wreslting).

Overall: Man, that crowd was HOT. A good show, making me care about the PPV.

"ScreamingHeadGuy, don't fear the wang. Know the wang. Embrace the wang. BE the wang....." - heed the wisdom of DEAN

This show bounced between brilliant and “WTF”. I’m sure everybody picked the ninja to be Al Snow, but why in the WORLD did they bring back Grandmaster Sexay? Especially when his sole apparent purpose was to be fed to Kane?

The main event was outstanding. From Evolution’s awesome entrance to the last shot of the three in the Triple Threat, they had that crowd going nuts. Benjamin didn’t look a step out of place in this group. I just don't get how Flair keeps on doing it. I can watch him work and completely forget how old he is. The opening segment with Johnny Nitro holding Barbie and Foley taking it back was right up there too.

Jericho and Christian prove they can steal any show, any time. The video edits of Trish had me rolling.

Hot crowd throughout the night. Perhaps not having some drunk non-wrestler scream WHAT and ride around in circles for 20 minutes helped keep the crowd alive.Thank God they didn't let Lita speak. That would have killed the crowd. Somehow they were able to show the old Trish footage without catching an old turnbuckle and having to use the power of the blotter.Fit Finley: The Man Allowed To Be on Both Shows.Gee, Brian Christopher is back. Somehow, I still don't care.The Triple Threat Match was the greatest match in wrestling history? The return match will be the greatest return match in wrestling history? I guess those Flair/Steamboat matches in the DVD player never existed. Must be a faulty disc causing that to play.Do you think Flair and Trip realized for the main event that if they wanted to have a truly memorable match, they had to keep Batista and Orton in for a bare minimum? Standing headbutt by Benoit was something he hasn't used in a while. Benjamin didn't look out of place in a match with 5 current/former World Champs.And, with the deepest roster in wrestling history, why is Coachman in a PPV match?

(edited by redsoxnation on 12.4.04 2319)

(edited by redsoxnation on 12.4.04 2320)I want you to know, I agree with everything I just said.

The hot crowd reminds me of the days of the Texas 10 man and the HHH/Austin vs. Benoit/Jericho matches...When Bautista and Benjamin were in there, it almost looked like the IC or even title match of the near future...Still don't care about La Resistance or Hurricane/Rosey...The crowd was crazy, but didn't they seem a little overly crazy when Foley and Flair were in the ring?...Is anyone else sick of hearing the comparison of The Passion and HellBoy because they were tied for money earning on Easter weekend?

Foley-Orton has one hell of a buildup to it... that video package they aired of Foley's past hardcore exploits (PLENTY of Japanese stuff in there, I didn't even know WWE had that footage) was pretty damn good, and Foley's given the majority of the promo time while Orton just acts intimidated... good decision by the bookers to focus this feud on Foley rather than Orton, makes it all the more compelling.

The 8-man was HOT, from Evolution's entrance to Flair's classic overexaggerated selling to the numerous CHOPS and the crowd helped a TON. They really picked it up when Triple H tagged in to face Benoit, and didn't die off for the rest of the night. Overall, it was one hell of a match. Benoit, Benjamin, Flair, and HHH seemed to have gotten the majority of the ring time; while Michaels picks up the win. Nice job of keeping most of the competitors strong (Batista wasn't in there much, but who cares).

Grandmaster Sexay... mmkay. He looks to be in decent physical condition, although I don't know what plans they would have for him. A tag team with Eugene came to mind, but then again why the hell would Lawler come back just to tag with a retard and job to Kane his first night out? I guess they have something halfway decent for him.

Speaking of tag teams, I'm guessing the Hurricane/Grenier match sets up some sort of spontaneous encounter at Backlash between La Resistance and Cane/SHIT; seeing as how those are the only two legit tag teams remaining on RAW, and the champs are busy elsewhere.

Is it just me, or did Edge's voice sound a LOT deeper than it did 14 months ago? He's really bulked up, and that could have a negative impact on his in-ring performance... getting used to that added muscle mass AND shaking off the ring rust is going to be a problem for him initially, but I think he'll be pushed hard in the summer so it shouldn't be too big of a problem.

Nice touch by bringing back the Shinobi gimmick... even though it's leading into Tajiri/Coach, the feud itself actually isn't that bad. Coach seems suited for a managerial role down the road, although he really shouldn't be wrestling matches. On PPV. Against legitimate opponents.

- Shelton, it's "nothing," not "nothin." There's an i-n-g at the end. "Nothing."- Did Shelton just say he was gonna use the bat as an enema?- Why does Shawn Michaels make me want to stab him in the face?- Cactus Jack is back, BANG BANG (and if that's not overused, I don't know what is)- Hey, Grandmaster Sexay! Thanks for coming out tonight. We needed someone new to job to Kane.- Eugene is smarter than he looks. Even he knows Trish is a slut- Hey, Coach is out with Tori, the Black Ninja (anyone remember that angle?)- Tonight on Raw: See Ric Flair in the role of the Doc, as he and Dave "Marty" Batista use a DeLorian to travel back in time and erase Triple H's losses to Shelton Benjamin- What's more boring than a Triple H promo? A TAPED Triple H promo- There's only one diamond in this business... and it's on Stephanie's wedding ring- Old RAW is WAR footage rules- I'm not sure if anything could have made the women's match exciting for me. Maybe Hulk Hogan (Wow! I can actually hear my rating dropping)- What? Can "CLB" finally be over?!- OXYMORON: Johnny Damon haircut- What, is Edge too good for Rob Zombie now?- Sylvan Grenier is having his way with The Hurricane? Yeeeee...- Did anyone else catch J.R. ALMOST cut down the IWC? He was about to say something, but held his tongue- Noooo! The Frenchies killed the Easter Bunny!- The number of Mick Foley video packages is catching up to the number of Shawn Michaels t-shirts- I'm not sure there's one match at Backlash that makes any sense at all (now that I think of it, Foley VS. Orton does)- What's more boring than a TAPED Triple H promo? A TAPED Chris Benoit promo!- Why is the World Heavyweight Champion the first one out to the ring for the main event?- Evolution stole Christian's falling sparks pyro! Those CLBs!- Yes J.R., Chris Benoit is so proud of his Canadien influence, he's now being announced as from Atlanta

And now, the *FIRST EVER* World Commercial Champion is...

AT&T Collect Calling!

(edited by Nuclear Winter on 12.4.04 2338)Mick Foley has a conscience... Cactus Jack just doesn't give a damn.

Foley's promo was good. Jeans two-weeks in a row for Mick!....C'mon Foley, you already used the Gibosn joke....Grandmaster Sexay was actually a surprise. It's kind of nice, cuz usually the internet breaks the news on a new wrestler, so it was cool being surprised for once. "I'll shit my pants if GMS comes out" I said when the music played. I learned my lesson. He'd be a decent addition to Smackdown (c'weight, Too Much reunion), but here, he seems wasted....

We played the guessing game as to who the ninja was, but I shouted out "Al Snow!" when the first mask came off, cuz it reminded me of Shinobi for some reason....Nice of them to give each guy in the triple-threat match a pre-taped promo. Gave it a big-match feel....I'm glad they didn't give Lita that mic time. The match was bad enough....The post-match beat-down bordered on Evolution-ish in length....

Ah, Eugene. You've grown on me....Edge promo was okay, but I'm not as amped about his return as some people are....The Grenier/Hurricane match was surprisingly watchable....REAL good 8-man action. I was hoping for a double super-kick on Trips as he stood on the apron to close the show....REAL HOT CROWD too, and it helped.

Why would they bring back Grandmaster Sexay and not put him with Scotty II Hotty? They've got a severe tag team shortage and Too Cool was really the only time either of those guys was that over. Oh well.

I'm sure someone will flame me for saying it, but the show sure as hell has been better without Austin.

""[The word] liberal derives from the Latin 'liberalis' - of freedom, befitting the free. Synonyms are progressive, broad-minded, unprejudiced and generous; while antonyms include reactionary, narrow-minded, intolerant and stingy. Accordingly, a political liberal is an open-minded person who considers all the arguments before drawing conclusions. A conservative, on the other hand, clings to one position and sees no reason to entertain diverse viewpoints because he already has his mind made up. Are mainstream media 'liberal'? I certainly hope so."-~Forrest Wood~-

Nice show. Super-hot main that frankly had me marking out. Kinda worries me the HHH did not bury anyone as we all know what happens when HHH goes into a ppv on a losing streak, right? HBK needed the big win though. So the question is: Does Hunter finally get "it"? Is this truly a new day where, gasp, someone ELSE gets to wear the belt for a little while? Probably not, BUT, I'm ordering Backlash anyway...I'm such a gullible mark.

I tried to see the positives in Lita's return. The women's division needs that big star now that Trish is mostly off with the men. Lita is about the biggest draw, and her early matches were at the very least interesting or entertaining.

Lita was so beyond bad tonight that I can't stand it much longer. Everyone who talked about her bad punches and even worse wrestling are completely correct. Perhaps Trish should get some of the blame, but they just weren't doing anything remotely resembling wrestling. Lita kills the business with her HHH-esque talking during matches.

That match was really the only negative on what was a great show. I loved all three taped promos because they weren't overlong. It was three quick takes, and it worked very well. You may not HBK's politics or attitude, but his charisma cannot be denied.

Even Eugene wasn't too bad, as long as he sticks to comedy bits. The only thing the show needed was some Austin.

Originally posted by Eddie FamousSomeone please teach Lita to wrestle. Just a little bit. 'Cause she really IS going to kill someone.

Poor, poor Victoria. Who'd she piss off to get put with this walking disaster at Backlash?

And speaking of Vic, where is she? I know she was off with food poisoning a couple weeks ago, but I'd think she'd be recovered by now.

She was on Heat taking on Jazz in a nontitle match (but I guess it will be shown internationaly only since there is a PPV Sunday). No idea why the didn't use her on Raw. I just got back from the show. It was pretty good overall, but the people around us were just plain obnoxious as hell).

After the show went off the air Michaels and Benoit punched Triple H at the same time and Evolution fled. Mick got on the mic and talked about Backlash. He told us not to forget this week in wrestling 'cause Shelton is going to become a bonafide superstar on Sunday, Michaels and Benoit will show why they are the greatest ever and he will mess up Orton. He then quoted Bret Hart and said he is the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. Hart's name actually got a bunch of boos, but I think it was only from the trash in my section.

Oh, and Mic also accidently called Benoit "Chris Rock" then corrected himself. Pretty funny stuff. Overall it was a good time.

My God did you say Bret got booed? I have to say its amazing to hear about the tide being turned for a change, even though I like Bret. But I'm for a crowd that's reversed with Shawn love and Bret hate just for once.

Good to see more people jumping on-board with what I was saying about Lita. I mean, I know they probably need her for the angle, but that doesn't mean they have to grant her so much God damn ring time. And jeez, we're lucky enough to get more of her genius at the pay-per-view, where Victoria won't be good enough to carry her. Why is it face vs face anyway? If one of them is turning heel, I hope its Victoria, as she sucks as a face nearly as much as Lita sucks as a worker.And buh gawd CLB got over. Now that's hell of a crowd. However, we'll see if it can last.Woof Woof, hah hah. Nostalgia can be great, this alone makes the whole confusing angle worth it all for a night.

-Oh I almost forgot, screw the people who belittle Edge's mic work. I was reminded of why I'm such a huge fan of even serious babyface Edge. He was comfortable, intense and straight to the point(kind of like face Shawn). He's also such a natural in the role of humiliating heels. Edge has just got it.

Technically Chris Jericho already has since the WWF/E Cruiser Title is really the WCW Cruiser Title pre-Survivor Series and he HAS held that. Either way, Christian has the best shot at completing the circuit - so to speak.